The Great Solar Eclipse of 2017 crossed the continent, from Oregon to South Carolina, and gave millions of people the chance to witness one of the most awe-inspiring events in the natural world.

But you had to be within the "path of totality", a narrow band across the earth's surface several thousand miles long but only about 70 miles wide. Outside that band you would only see a partial eclipse, not a total eclipse.

And there is no such thing as a "partial total eclipse", despite the impression blogs and the news media might give. I honestly think that's why so many people misunderstand the utter beauty of the spectacle; they may have seen a partial eclipse in the past that was total somewhere else, and even though they weren't in the path the news kept gushing about it being a total eclipse, so they assume they must have seen a total eclipse and just didn't find it all that impressive.


Posted by Dan 08/29/2017, revised 09/06/2017

Scott Tinley's Long Course was my final, final season finale. Yes, I know I'm supposed to be done racing for the year, but this one was non-negotiable because I had a specific agenda:

To win the Goodwell Fitness Tri Club Championship Series.

The contest is in its inaugural year, and the two main objectives are to score club points and to score individual points. With one event left to go, the Silicon Valley Tri Club was in a tight race with Triathlon Club San Diego and Golden Gate Triathlon Club, and we needed as many racers as possible to show up in San Luis Obispo to secure the win. I took this assignment very seriously.

Additionally, in the competition for individual points, I was in the top three, and the stakes were high: the first place prize was a Fitness Adventure sponsored by Goodwell Fitness and Alaska Airlines. This included round-trip airline tickets for two, a two night hotel stay, and a race entry fee at the destination of your choice (U.S. & Mexico). Holy crap! A dream come true!

This was a no brainer. Injured or not, I needed to be at this final race in the series. Scott Tinley's offers Sprint, Olympic and Long, with higher TCCS point values assigned to the longer distances. Long Course it is!

I combined forces with fellow SVTC racer (and club president) Carin, and last minute accommodations were hastily booked at a "budget level" motel in Arroyo Grande, just 20 minutes from the race venue at Lopez Lake.

The decor wasn't really my style, but at least the lampshades were still in the package. Nothing worse than a stale lampshade.


Posted by Kimberly 10/21/2015

Nik completed his final race for the Cal Poly cycling team, the Wheelmen. The Western Collegiate Cycling Conference's final race of the 2011 Mountain Bike season was hosted by Cal-Berkeley at the Bailey Bike Park course.


Nik racing down the slalom course at Bailey Bike Park


Posted by Dan 11/14/2011

When you are new in a country or area or city, there are always the locations/ attractions that people ask you, "Have you seen this yet? Have you done that yet? Have you gone there?" Well I have finally gone to one such place that I've been hearing about since my arrival in Quito. Mindo is a beautiful escape for those who love the natural world. It is located in the cloud forests of Ecuador, about 3 hours outside of Quito. These are high-elevation forests that are fed by the rains that precipitate out of clouds rising up the flanks of the Andes. With hundreds of species of birds, flowers of every color of the rainbow, and crisp, clean, refreshing rivers, it is quite a weekend treat.

I got to see a toucan! I took this photo with my friend Heather's SLR camera... and now I'm hooked.

It should be noted that due to this trip, I am now resigned to the fact that my next earned income will be going towards a nice SLR camera and lenses with which to capture the incredible and colorful life of the world around me! But for now, I just make do with the camera I have, and capture the wildlife that comes close enough for the capability of my lens.

Have a peek at some of the birds my lens and I saw!
(the pictures at the beginning of this album are not from Mindo)

Photo album: Birds and flowers and smiles in Mindo
https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2349064&id=19700757&l=d016e16106

Posted by Whitney 04/07/2011, revised 04/07/2011